Jane Walker Burleson

May Jane Walker Burleson (1888–1957), also known as Jennie May Burleson, was a notable socialite, artist, and Texan suffragette who was the Grand Marshal of the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913 in Washington, DC. Mounted with confidence on her horse, she led a parade of 5,000 people up Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC and "into a melee that changed the direction of the suffrage movement." During the 1930s her name was associated with scandal, attracting wide media attention in Texas, as she shot and killed the woman her husband married after their contentious divorce in 1938.

Washington, DC Suffrage parade - Mrs. Mary Bair, Mr(s). W. Albert Wood, and Mrs. R.S. (i.e., Richard Coke) Burleson LOC 2616374812 Upon their return to the United States, Lieutenant Burleson was stationed at Fort Myer just out of Washington, DC. In Washington, she joined the short-lived Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage association which was founded in 1913 by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns to campaign for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's suffrage Burleson was the Grand Marshal of the Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913 in Washington, DC.

She was featured in a February 1914 article in the Meriden Morning Record under the heading "Women Worth While." She was described as a "handsome young wife" who "was one of the most accomplished women in the army and navy circles in Washington, DC- an expert swimmer and diver who played golf, tennis and could "ride the most spirited mount."

Burleson's husband served overseas during World War I, commanding the 107th Regiment of the 53rd Field Artillery Brigade in Belgium. He advanced to the rank of Colonel and received several medals for his service.

Controversies Her husband filed for divorce in 1935 and the case was heard in the District Court of San Saba County in November 1936 with his appeal for divorce being denied. In April 1937, attorneys allegedly acting on behalf of Jennie May Burleson "filed a cross action for divorce," which resulted in a divorce. However, Jennie Burleson alleged that she had not authorized the cross action suit.